Edexcel A2 French (6FR04) - 14th June 2013

Original post by youreacactus

Hi, I haven't seen a thread for Edexcel French yet so I thought I'd make one :smile:

How is everyone revising? I'm doing Molière's Tartuffe for the research-based essay.

Good luck, everyone!

How are you finding Tartuffe? I love that play. Good luck trying to analyse it in any depth in 270 words though!

However, the word limits are also a bit of a blessing: I don't think I've ever sat another exam that is so generous with time. 2.5 hours to write 600ish words!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 2

rawrr_charlotte

Original post by youreacactus

Hi, I haven't seen a thread for Edexcel French yet so I thought I'd make one :smile:

How is everyone revising? I'm doing Molière's Tartuffe for the research-based essay.

Good luck, everyone!

I think revision's going okay-ish for me, I'm doing research essays because I find that it's the hardest part of the paper. I'm going to try and do at least two discursive essays this week and then squeeze in loads of translation and verb conjugation practice the day before so it stays fresh in my head on the day.

My approach probably won't work this way with chemistry & biology exams on Tuesday and Wednesday but at least I'm trying :smile:

Reply 3

confusedgirl22

2

Hey, i'm doing La Haine or Intouchables for the research-based essay!
I reallly need some way to practice my translation though! Any ideas?
And i'm TERRIBLE at verbs! Does anyone have any advice/ website which makes verbs easier?

Reply 4

Original post by confusedgirl22

Hey, i'm doing La Haine or Intouchables for the research-based essay!
I reallly need some way to practice my translation though! Any ideas?
And i'm TERRIBLE at verbs! Does anyone have any advice/ website which makes verbs easier?

Have you tried this website? It has loads of conjugation exercises.

https://conjuguemos.com/index.php

Reply 5

tmacb3th

Original post by youreacactus

Hi, I haven't seen a thread for Edexcel French yet so I thought I'd make one :smile:

How is everyone revising? I'm doing Molière's Tartuffe for the research-based essay.

Good luck, everyone!

Hey, I'm either doing L'Etranger for the literature question or WWII as a historical study but it's impossible to go into depth with the word count for the book... so likely to do the historical question though they've been a tad iffy recently.
Revision has been alright(ish), just doing lots of RBEs and learning verbs, ultimate achilles heel.

Reply 6

AmelieT

I'm doing tartuffe as well! what question do you think they'll ask???

Reply 7

confusedgirl22

2

what are you guys predicting for the literature/arts question?

Reply 8

16bridges

Does anybody have a researched based assay about a film which has a high mark? (ideally La Haine, but I don't really mind) I am so unclear as to what I'm actually meant to do, and all edexcel's exemplar ones online are about books. Do we need to reference other people's opinion of the film, or just refer to what happens in the actual film? Any help much appreciated!

Reply 9

Nostromo

5

I'm also doing La Haine (and in my Film Studies exam too, I think I could probably recite the whole script by now...), and my teacher said that a question about film style might come up, since it hasn't been asked in the exam yet. I know predicting answers is always a bit dodgy, but film style and technique might be worth revising :smile:

Pretty nervous about this exam, since I really need an A to get into uni. I was only 3 UMS marks into an A at AS, but I think I did well in the speaking this year, so at leasts that's reassuring.

Does anyone have a list of past questions for the discursive essay? I'm having trouble finding many online.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

FR le dÃ©veloppement du personnage principal.docx18.0KB

Ooh there's a thread for this exam yay! :biggrin:

Does anyone else find it slightly annoying that we spend months learning about topics like abortion, euthanasia, immigration etc and then for the discursive they ask the most random questions about for example the importance of reading classic novels or whether being a parent involves more joys or responsibilities...I just feel like I can't prepare for that bit of the exam in terms of vocabulary and I'm so scared it's my weakest area :frown:

For the research-based essay I'm thinking it will be on techniques, as previous questions have been about a character, the importance of context and I think one year it was on a theme, but that's just a complete guess :smile:

I'm doing the films of Truffaut for that essay, anyone else doing the same?

Reply 11

londonlinguist

I'm also doing la Haine. Has anybody got an notes or essays they could send me just so i know what to do? I'd be sososososososososososososo grateful. I've had an awful year this year (hospital, friends deaths) and therefore i havent been at college since feb and ive have had no guidance for exams. Im very scared about the research based essay haha!!

Reply 12

kbonbon

6

Original post by 16bridges

Does anybody have a researched based assay about a film which has a high mark? (ideally La Haine, but I don't really mind) I am so unclear as to what I'm actually meant to do, and all edexcel's exemplar ones online are about books. Do we need to reference other people's opinion of the film, or just refer to what happens in the actual film? Any help much appreciated!

Don't know what you would count as high but I have one I did that got 38/45? I'll attach it and you can take a look? The question was about character development and my essay is on La Haine :smile:

Reply 13

kbonbon

6

Original post by Nostromo

Does anyone have a list of past questions for the discursive essay? I'm having trouble finding many online.

Yeah I made a table of all the past questions and put them into categories (as best I could because they're so RANDOM. :unimpressed:

) so I'll attach that.

FRENCH EXAM QUESTIONS.docx23.2KB

Reply 14

Original post by Morgasm19

Ooh there's a thread for this exam yay! :biggrin:

Does anyone else find it slightly annoying that we spend months learning about topics like abortion, euthanasia, immigration etc and then for the discursive they ask the most random questions about for example the importance of reading classic novels or whether being a parent involves more joys or responsibilities...I just feel like I can't prepare for that bit of the exam in terms of vocabulary and I'm so scared it's my weakest area :frown:

For the research-based essay I'm thinking it will be on techniques, as previous questions have been about a character, the importance of context and I think one year it was on a theme, but that's just a complete guess :smile:

I'm doing the films of Truffaut for that essay, anyone else doing the same?

That was the one I wrote on when I sat the exam. I loved that question!

It's true that they can be a bit random, though I suppose it tests versatility...

Reply 15

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

That was the one I wrote on when I sat the exam. I loved that question!

It's true that they can be a bit random, though I suppose it tests versatility...

Oooh really? How did you structure if you remember? Did you do a section on why it is important and then why it's not that important?

Yes that's true but I'm just scared that a question will come up and I just won't have the required vocabulary to answer it well :frown:

Thanks so much for that link you posted above, what a great website! x

Reply 16

Original post by Morgasm19

Oooh really? How did you structure if you remember? Did you do a section on why it is important and then why it's not that important?

Yes that's true but I'm just scared that a question will come up and I just won't have the required vocabulary to answer it well :frown:

Thanks so much for that link you posted above, what a great website! x

Haha it was a long time ago but I remember it clearly because it was a dream of a question.

I started by introducing the notion of what literature is (I recall using something flouncy like "Depuis l'aube des temps, l'Homme cheche à exprimer les émotions et les pensées de notre existence éphémère" :rolleyes:

)

I then talked about why people might see classic literature as useless:
Not of our time and so irrelevant
Some even say all literature is frivolous - let alone classic literature

The rest of my essay was countering these points:
Talked about the timelessness of certain themes (references jealousy and Othello because I had just sat my English lit. exam)

Mentioned some French authors like Rousseau that have really made a lasting impression on real life - so literature is not just impractical

Waffled on about the pleasures of reading - good for the soul etc.

I then concluded, basically saying "If you don't like literature go away"

You might also be interested in my grammar notes (link is in my sig). They might not be too helpful given how short the translations are but hey...

Good luck for your exam! (I seem to recall you being on the Oxford offer holders' thread - what college?)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 17

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

Haha it was a long time ago but I remember it clearly because it was a dream of a question.

I started by introducing the notion of what literature is (I recall using something flouncy like "Depuis l'aube des temps, l'Homme cheche à exprimer les émotions et les pensées de notre existence éphémère" :rolleyes:

)

I then talked about why people might see classic literature as useless:
Not of our time and so irrelevant
Some even say all literature is frivolous - let alone classic literature

The rest of my essay was countering these points:
Talked about the timelessness of certain themes (references jealousy and Othello because I had just sat my English lit. exam)

Mentioned some French authors like Rousseau that have really made a lasting impression on real life - so literature is not just impractical

Waffled on about the pleasures of reading - good for the soul etc.

I then concluded, basically saying "If you don't like literature go away"

You might also be interested in my grammar notes (link is in my sig). They might not be too helpful given how short the translations are but hey...

Good luck for your exam! (I seem to recall you being on the Oxford offer holders' thread - what college?)

Wow that sounds like an amazing essay!

No I'm sure they'll be super helpful thank you I'll check them out :smile:

Thank yooou! Luckily I only need a B this year to get an A but judging how badly my oral seemed to go...I should probably be revising hard for the written exam!

I have an offer from Hertford, are you at Oxford? :smile:

I'm so scared I'm going to meet my offer ahh I guess I just have to hope for the best :frown:

Reply 18

Original post by Morgasm19

Wow that sounds like an amazing essay!

No I'm sure they'll be super helpful thank you I'll check them out :smile:

Thank yooou! Luckily I only need a B this year to get an A but judging how badly my oral seemed to go...I should probably be revising hard for the written exam!

I have an offer from Hertford, are you at Oxford? :smile:

I'm so scared I'm going to meet my offer ahh I guess I just have to hope for the best :frown:

Ah I really feel for you. I was terrified, but you just have to tell yourself "They thought I was good enough and they generally know what they're doing!"

Yep I'm at Oxford (Trinity) - Hertford is a lovely college (the tourists love dat Bridge :P)

Off to hall now!

Reply 19